Lake Placid police: Ukrainian man fought with officer

January 22, 2013

LAKE PLACID - Two eastern European men who appear to have been in town for a World Cup freestyle skiing competition were charged in separate incidents over the weekend.

Village police charged Oleksandr Abremenko, 24, of Nikolaev, Ukraine, with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a violation, at 2:25 a.m. Sunday following a skirmish at a local nightlife establishment on Main Street. Police declined to identify the business.

Police Sgt. Chuck Dobson told the Enterprise that Abremenko was observed fighting with employees of the business on the sidewalk. When a police officer tried to place Abremenko in custody, he allegedly attempted to fight the officer and resisted arrest.

"We're not sure why the fight started," Dobson said. "No injuries were reported inside the establishment, and neither the officer nor the defendant was injured.

"The officer used physical force to place him under arrest with help from the business' staff," Dobson added.

Abremenko was arraigned in village court and released on his own recognizance to reappear at a later date. Police didn't know if he has a lawyer.

Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man from Minsk, Belarus, was charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, at 2:11 a.m. Sunday. Police said Maksim Gustik "caused alarm to the public when he began to fight with people who were socializing" on Main Street. He was arraigned in village court, where he pled guilty to disorderly conduct.

Individuals with the same names, ages and locales as Abremenko and Gustik were listed as aerial freestyle ski competitors for the World Cup event. Police Chief Bill Moore said he wasn't 100 percent sure if they were the same people.